What does a degree programme cost?

The answer to this question depends on many factors. Living costs and expenses for study requirements vary depending on the university location and subject. Whether you live with your parents or have to maintain your own flat also plays a major role.

[Translate to English:] Bundesagentur für Arbeit
[Translate to English:] Bargeld liegt auf einem Tisch.

In Germany, you do not have to pay tuition fees at state or church universities. However, this does not mean that studying in Germany is free of charge.

Normally, when you enrol or re-register for each new semester, you have to pay social contributions for the services of the student union, the student representation and, if applicable, for a semester ticket for local public transport. In some federal states, there are also administrative costs.

The student survey ‘One for All’ by the German Centre for Higher Education Research and Science Studies (DZHW), the University of Konstanz's Higher Education Research Group and the German Student Union provides information on the financial burden of a typical student.

The latest 22nd Social Survey from 2023 clearly shows that monthly expenditure on rent and ancillary costs is the biggest burden on students' budgets. Including ancillary costs, an average of 410 euros per month was due here in the reference year 2021.

The 22nd Social Survey determined that the average monthly income available to students in 2021 was €1,036, although there is considerable variation in monthly income. Although the vast majority (90%) are financially supported by their parents, over two thirds (68%) of students contribute to the cost of living through their own earnings from gainful employment alongside their studies. Eighteen per cent receive BAföG and five per cent a scholarship.

Tuition fees

Even though no German state charges general tuition fees or contributions for a first degree programme, some states (Lower Saxony, Saarland, Saxony and Thuringia) charge fees for long-term students or study accounts. Students who exceed the standard period of study by more than four semesters or a study credit defined by state law must pay up to 500 euros, depending on the state.

Some states also charge fees for a second degree programme, i.e. a further undergraduate degree programme, and in some cases also for part-time degree programmes (e.g. in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg).

Some private universities charge high tuition fees even for the first degree programme, as they are financed directly from this income.

Semester fee

All students must pay compulsory contributions, known as semester or social contributions, when they first enrol and when they re-enrol for the next semester.

These include the administration fee, the student representation fee, the student union fee and, depending on the federal state, the cost of a compulsory semester ticket, which allows you to use local public transport at a reduced price or even free of charge. Which of the aforementioned compulsory contributions are due and in what amount varies from university to university.

Die Grafik zeigt die monatlichen Ausgaben Studierenden für einzelne Positionen der Lebensführung. Hierbei wird jeweils der aithmetische Mittelwert betrachtet. Miete (inkl. Nebenkosten) 410 €, Ernährung 198 €, Gesundheit 100 €, Mobilitätskosten 89 €, Freizeit, Kultur und Sport 65 €, Kleidung 46 €, Telefon, Internet 31 €, Lernmittel 31 €. Quelle: BMBF / 22. Sozialerhebung (2023)
Stand: 09.07.2025